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Quality courses and learning objectives aim to foster a positive learning experience. Successfully written learning objectives are observable, measurable, and clearly defined in the syllabus. Objectives should also be provided for each lesson, module, chapter, or section of the course in order to provide students with guided learning, motivation, and the basis for assessment throughout different sections of the course.

When writing objectives, you want to use your goals to articulate exactly what you want your students to achieve or be able to demonstrate.

Overall learning objectives:

  • Identify what the students should learn
         Example: learning objectives
  • Use Bloom's taxonomy and action verbs to identify the level of knowledge you want your students to demonstrate
         Example: Create measurable learning objectives (Bloom’s synthesis level- create is the action verb)
  • Add criteria on how the outcome will be observed or measured
         Example: Create measurable learning objectives for an online course module to align content, activities, and assessment with learning outcomes.

Remember: Objectives are statements of student behavior, not descriptions of what or how the student will be taught.

Arizona State University has an excellent objective builder that may be helpful in creating your course and module objectives.

Although this isn’t the philosophy of all pedagogical institutions, Susan Ko and Steve Rossen, authors of “Teaching Online: A Practical Guide" Have some great, practical advice:

Don't drive yourself crazy trying to write ever more precise learning objectives- the main point is to express as clearly and plainly as possible what it is you want your students to learn and how they can best demonstrate that they have learned it. p.57

 

 

 

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